The cover image for this issue of Artkrush is a detail of Untitled / Sin título (vea), an ink-on-found-image work by Dr. Lakra. The Oaxacan artist subverts the printed or plastic bodies of vintage pinup girls, machismos, and dolls by covering them with snakes, skulls, devils, and tribal patterns taken from his experience as a tattooist. The Barbican Museum in London is currently exhibiting his work in the group show Martian Museum of Terrestrial Art through May 18.

The son of prominent graphic designer Francisco Toledo, Dr. Lakra was born in 1972 as Jerónimo López Ramirez. His chosen name cleverly plays on the Spanish word "lacra," which means "scar," but also connotes a rebellious group or individual. Represented by kurimanzutto in Mexico City and Kate MacGarry in London, Dr. Lakra has also participated in shows with Matthew Marks Gallery and the Drawing Center in New York, the Tate Modern in London, Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Yokohama Museum of Art in Japan.

As with his tattoo practice, Dr. Lakra uses skin in his art to tell strange stories of mortality, sensuality, and horror. A belly and breasts become a skull in Untitled (Libro con Imagenes Picantes); a baby doll acquires a full-body suit of saints and sultry women in Untitled (Cupido Lupita); and a fair-haired femme with stars for nipples submits to a gremlin lover in Untitled (In the garden). On every surface, Dr. Lakra's tattoo designs convert romantic nostalgia into fresh images of modern mayhem. - Lauren McKee